Okay, Barilkosphere, here’s your chance to pick up a piece of Leafs memorabilia.<\/p>\n
My wife and I are running a charity auction tonight.\u00a0 One of the items that’s up for grabs is an autographed hockey stick that\u00a0 Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment was kind enough to donate.\u00a0 It’s autographed by the 2008-2009 Toronto Maple Leafs;\u00a0 you know, the pre-truculent ones.<\/p>\n
Now I know that there will be some among you who say, “Meh.\u00a0 No Nasty Nazem, no Komikazi, no Happy Trails.\u00a0 I am excited about this year’s team.\u00a0 Last year is so – well, last year.”\u00a0\u00a0 But there’s a lot of this year on the stick too;\u00a0 Luke Schenn, Mickey Grabs, Nick Hagman and Nikolai Kulemin, for example, were all Leafs last year.\u00a0 And if I could identify all the signatures on it, I would be able to assure you that they’re all there (just kidding – most of them added their numbers beneath their signature).<\/p>\n
There are also some elements of history and soon-to-be-history.\u00a0 For example the stick is signed by Nik Antropov and Anton Stralman.\u00a0 Since both of those players were traded by the Leafs, the successful bidder is virtually guaranteed* to own a stick signed by sure fire future Hall of Famers and future winners of multiple Norris, Hart and Art Ross trophies.<\/p>\n
The stick comes with a certificate of authenticity.\u00a0 I picked it up myself from MLSE;\u00a0 it’s the real deal.<\/p>\n
The auction is taking place between 5:30 and about 8:00 tomorrow night.\u00a0 If you’re interested in submitting a bid on the stick, I can do it for you – we can communicate by Twitter (my handle is warwalker) or email (junior [at] heroesinrehab.ca)\u00a0 on my iPhone.\u00a0\u00a0 I’ll cough up the dough for the charity, you can PayPal me the amount of the bid if you win, and I’ll even pay to ship it to your home, apartment, dorm room, cardboard box or park bench. Which is a joke, of course, but it’s a nice way to segue to…<\/p>\n